Chapter Eighteen- Kidnapped
Once night hit Goku went off to Vegeta's so they might figure out were Haji and his gang may be. The rest of the family was fast asleep not even expecting the night's events.
The silent crept about Goten making him shiver. He didn't like to feel alone. Absentmindedly he stroked the bed next to him to feel for Gohan. His hand rested upon Gohan's. Happiness swept though him as he gave his sleeping brother's hand a slight squeeze. How he missed his brother next to him at nights. And now he didn't feel so alone. But he was thirsty…
Goten heaved himself up off his bed and hugged himself as the cold night air nipped at him. He stared at the floor for a moment wondering if it would make his feet colder then they already were. Goten was just about to snuggled back into bed when a voice downstairs caught his attention. Goten cast one last look at Gohan and slipped out of bed… past the cot that Trunks slept on. Gohan sniffed lightly and hugged his pillow to his chest not knowing his brother had left…
Goten descended the staircase and at the bottom stood none other then Chibi Trunks. Goten rubbed his eyes and yawned, "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to show you something! It's so awesome!"
"Is it a bug?"
"Yes! A really big one! Come on!" Trunks beckoned.
Goten clambered after his friend out in to the night…
Trunks was the first to realize something was out of place. He heard the front door shut and slowly opened his eyes. Thinking it was nothing but the wind he was about to go back to sleep when Gohan leapt out of bed as if he had been burnt.
"Where's Goten!" Gohan hissed to Trunks' sleeping form.
Trunks' eyes snapped opened at these words. Both he and Gohan stumbled out of bed and to the top of the staircase. It was then that they heard the shrill scream. Gohan panicked.
"GOTEN! NO!"
He fumbled on his way down the stairs and ended up rolling down them. Trunks banged on Chichi's door.
"Goten gone! Chichi! Something's going on!"
Chichi burst through the door just as Gohan climbed to his feet. He didn't wait for them to follow. Gohan raced through the kitchen with Mirai Trunks in hot pursuit. When he ripped open the front door what met his eyes was the worst nightmare he could ever imagine.
"GOOOOOOOOOHHHAAAAAAN!!!!!" Goten screamed bloody murder from the arms of Cell and Haji.
Gohan immediately flashed into Super Sayian. His heart pounding with fear and anger. Chichi let out a scream of terror for her son from the door frame.
"GOTEN!" Gohan yelled jumping up to graze fingertips with his brother…
"GOHAN, GET DOWN!" Trunks screamed flinging himself against Gohan.
They both fell backwards just as Cell and Haji released the beams they powered up behind their back. The whole area erupted in yellow light. Goten's eyes filled with crystal tears as he looked upon his brother one last time…and with Cell's instant transmission they disappeared before the blasts could harm them…
Goku's eyes filled with panic at the realization of his son's ki rocketing upward and his wife's disappearing. Vegeta had clearly felt it too, but the retired villain felt no pity for his old foe. But Vegeta did allow Goku to go. He was no longer heartless.
Goku zapped in seconds after the explosion. The house was in ruins and no one was in sight. Fear slipped into Goku's heart as he scanned for someone standing…
Videl had been traveling to Gohan's house for freedom. He was the only friend her father wouldn't know the address. She needed to find someone to talk to about what was going on. Videl no longer felt safe under her father's wing. He just didn't give her the protection he once did.
She could just see the peaceful cottage in the distance when the whole valley shook with tremendous force. She was rocked back and forth through the air. Her eyes catching the horrific scene ahead of her… Gohan's house just disappeared in a flash of yellow light. Videl bit her lip and put an extra spurt of energy into her flying…
Please don't tell me Gohan was in that. Kami, don't tell me that.
Goku saw Videl land on the rubble a little bit a ways from him. He knew why she was here. If this wasn't so serious he would probably snicker.
"Goku! Where's Gohan?!" Videl cried tears slipping down her cheeks, "Don't tell me he was in this!"
Goku bent down and began digging in the rubble unable to answer Videl's question.
Videl slipped down onto her knees looking at the ruins in angst. She began scrambling through it all the while whispering, "No. Don't you dare leave me, Gohan. Don't you dare."
There was suddenly glow of yellow on her right and out of the rubble came a hand. The hand pressed up and Gohan turned out to be the owner. He was a bit beaten up but other then that he was fine. He climbed to his feet and then slightly staggered. Videl caught him.
"Gohan! You're alive! Thank goodness!"
She hugged him close and Gohan wrapped a kind arm about her. They both sunk to their knees. Videl looked up to see Gohan was crying as well.
"They got Goten…They got Goten," He repeated, "They got him. I couldn't save him."
Goku ran up to his eldest son and hugged him as well. Goku strong grip gave Gohan more comfort. Goku looked grave.
"I am so glad you made it. That blast was powerful… It was strong enough to kill a Super Sayian…"
"What about Mom?!" Gohan cried suddenly, "She was behind us!"
There was another burst of light and Trunks climbed out of the wreckage. He looked a bit worse then Gohan... Perhaps because he had gotten right in the beams coarse of direction. He smiled weakly at the three people before him and muttered, "Ow."
Videl looked to Gohan and then back to Mirai Trunks,
"Is this the foreign exchange student from Egypt?"
Trunks and everyone else sweat dropped as Videl walked up and greeted Trunks like he couldn't speak English.
"Hello! Myyy…nameee…isss…Videllll." Videl said with a lot of unneeded hand movements, "Whattt…issss…your…nameee?"
"It's Trunks," Mirai Trunks stuttered, "Trunks Briefs."
"That's funny… Trunks must be a very popular name nowadays," Videl shrugged.
Goku, Gohan, Mirai Trunks, and Videl dug through the wreckage for Chichi when Videl came upon something wet. She drew back and found her palm soaked in something that looked like ketchup. She touched her lips to the goop and cringed… blood. Nervously, she drew back the next board to gawk what was underneath. She was silent for several seconds and then let out a high pitched scream. She scrambled away from what she was staring at and wrapped her arms about Gohan.
Gohan glanced at his father. Goku got the message and drew back the board.
It was someone's limp hand…he dug some more relived to find it still attached to a arm. In a few seconds he had recovered Chichi from the debris. She was in severe condition barely clinging onto life.
Videl squeezed Gohan's hand and muttered in a unnaturally high voice, "She's not dead, is she?"
No one could answer her. Goku pressed his index and middle finger to his forehead and gazed over to Gohan.
"Don't go anywhere, Gohan. I'll be right back with a sensu bean."
Gohan gazed up at the stars unable to feel his brother's ki anymore. Loyal to his father's order, Gohan had been forced to sit, while Cell and Haji took his brother farther away and his mother lay dying next to him. What next?
"Gohan," Videl whispered placing her hand on his, "We will save your brother."
"Don't give up, Gohan," Mirai Trunks agreed, "Goten can handle those guys long enough for us to save him."
Gohan smiled at their attempts to cheer him… His gaze fell upon the distant moon… but-but it was never there before. He didn't give it much thought… although he was kind of wondering why he wasn't all ape at the moment… Gohan gazed up at the moon lazily, "I won't fail next time, Goten. I can promise you that much."
To Be Continued…
Please Read and Review!
Originally, Gohan was going to go after Haji and Cell but I think that they wouldn't have stayed on the planet much longer if they knew Gohan was after them. So at least I am going to get to the humorous parts faster!
